Rail-joint.



Em: AWaEL-ABLE 3% 1. M. HINKLE & J. s. COOPER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICAHON FILED APR. 14. 1915.

1 1 54,77 1 Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

CQPY

UNITED stratrnsramawr orr oiz.'

JAMES MJHINKLE AND JOHN S. CBOOPER, OF SOMERSET, KENTUCKY.

' RAIL-JOINT.

accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to rail joints, and particularly to that class ofwherein fish-plates are used, engaging on each side of the rail andextending over and around the base flanges thereof.

The primary object of thisinvention is to provide a railjoint which willnot only hold the rails in absolute alinement with each other, but willalso act to support the rails from downward deflection at their meetingends.

A further objectofthe invention is the proiision of a joint of thischaracter so formed that only one bolt may be used to hold thefish-plates in engagement with" the meeting rails, and this bolt notbeing passed through either of the rails but being disposed beneath thebase of the rail in such-a position that it will not be liable toaccidental detachment.

A furtherv object of the invention is to provide a joint havingfish-plates which are so formed as to support the rail against lateralthrust and tipping strain, these fish plates also extendinglbeneath therail and being so constructed as to providestrengthening webs orthickened portions beneath the joint meeting rails so as to additionallyguard against any downward deflection of i the rails at the joints.-

A further object of the invention is to so form the fish-plates thatthey may be spiked to the tie in the same manner as the flange of therail itself, and that these fish-plates shall have relatively thick andstrong marginal edges in engagement with the spike so that the heavingof the track will not tend to break or crack the fish-plates as is oftenthe case wherespikes engage the relatively thin base flange of the rail.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description. I

This invention is illustratejd in the accompanying drawings, wl erein;

Figure 1 is a side e citation of arail joint railapplied thereto, the

with my improved head of the rail being partly broken away;

rail joints Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. .28, 1915.,Application filed April 14, 1915. Serial No. 21,379. i

Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view of one of the splice-bars orfish-plates; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1. v

Referring to these drawings, '2 designates a rail of the usual formhaving the base 3 I and the head l. The under side of the head of eachrail adjacent its ends is formed with the upwardly extending recesses?It will of course be understood that there are two rails :2 which areabutted against each other at the'jointsbetween their ends.

For the purpose of supporting the two. abutting rails and holding themin alinement. 1 provide the oppositely disposed fish-plates 6.

Each fish-plate has a base portion 7, an upwardly and inwardly extendingweb 8-which extends over the upper face of the adjacent base flange ofthe rail, and the upwardly extending portion 9 which extends up againstthe web of the rail. This portion 9 at its upper edge is formed with thetenons or lugs 10 which are received within the recesses or mortises 5.'The base of each fish-plate is formed on its under side and adjacentits middle with the longitudinally extending rib or thickened portion11. This thickened portion may extend out to the outer edge of thecorresponding fish-plate but preferably the outer edge of the thickenedportion does not extend outward beyond the inner face of the bracingportion 8 of the fish-plate.

Preferably, each rib 11 or web has an upwardly and longitudinally curvedor inclined face 12, and each rib is provided with holes 13 for thereception of one or more bolts 14. The ribs or thickened portions 11have a length approximately equal to the usual distance between twoties, so that the thickened portions 11 will extend downward between theties andwill bear at their ends against the'ties, thus holding thefish-plate from longitudinal movement relative to the ties. Thesedownwardly depending ribs 11 also engage withthe ballast of the roadbed, and this assists in holding the rails, fishplates, and the tiessecurely'in place from longitudinal mo 'ementr Furthermore, thefish-plates are each cut away at their edges, as at 15, to provide forthe engagement of the fish-plates by spikes 16.

fish-plates 6, the oint between the meetingvious that these thickenedportions will so rails being disposed above the middle of the"thickened'portion 11. It will be obstrengthen the bases of thefish-plates that downward strain upon the rails will be fully resisted,andjtherfore there will be no downward deflection of the. rails at thejoint; notwithstanding the 'fact that the joint does not come over theties. It will be obvious that there can beno upward de-' flection ofone'rail with relation to the other because of the fact that the ends,of-

the rails are clamped securely from either upward, downward, or lateralmovement. Creeping of the rails with relation to. the

fish-plates is prevented by the interlocking lugs and recesses in thefish-plates and heads of the-rails. And-furthermore. by the use of theselugs interlocking with -the rail.

heads, the upper portion of each fish-plate will be interlocked with therail, while the lower portion is held'clamped by the bolt' or bolts 1-Because of this interlocking of the upper edges of the fish-plates withthe rail, only one bolt is neededto hold the fish-plates securely inposition.

It will be seen that the angular form given to the fish-plates is verymuch stronger than the flat form ordinarily given to fishplates, andthatthere will be less tendency of the fish-plates to be deflected orstrained. And again it will be noted that the rail is braced between thetwo fish-plates andsupported" against tipping strain or any tendency tobreak, and again even if the rail should break the two port-ions of therail on each side of the'break cannot get out of alinement with eachother.- a

In modern railway practice. with the high speed trains now in use andwith theincreasing weight of the rolling stock. there is a very greatstrain upon the 'rails which is 1 met today by increasing the weight ofthe rails. Ouinintention is to resist this strain very largely by theuse of these fish-plates, which need not be used necessarily at a jointbut might be used at'intervals' entirely along the rail. Furthermore.under the conditions of 'inodernpractice, flat morn-and these flatwheels result in constant bi' eak'ages of the rails. \Yith our improvedoint, even though therails do break, there can be no danger ofde-railment inasmuch as the two portions of the rail will be held' totipping thrust upon the rail. With our Again it is to be rail, and thisoften construction the spikes are applied to the edges of the,fish-plates or splice bar, and

these edges arerelatively thick. As a consequence, these edges are notso liable to break or crack under strain, and even if appear it will ofoppositely disposed complementary fish plates formed to embrace'th'ebase flange of the rail and confront each other-below the rail. each ofsaid fish plates having aver- -tical web, an ol'itwardly and downwardlyextending web, the under face of which is inclined to contact with andhave \vcdging engageiiient with the upper face of the corresponding baseflange. and a horizontal web, the horiZontal web engaging beneath thebase of the rail and means disposed below the rail for urging said fishplates toward each other and against the rail, the upper edge of thevertical web of each il ll plate'enga-ging beneath the head ofthc railand being formed with a plurality of studs, the rail being formed uponthe under face of its head with a plurality of stud-receiving verticallyextending recesses, the outer faces of whichare inclined outward anddownward, whereby upon the forcing of y the fish'pla tcs toward eachotherthe 'vcr- 'tical flanges of the fish plates will be urged intowedging engagement between the base flange of the rail andthe head tothereby clamp the fish plates intowvedging engagement with the base andhead of the rail.

2. The combination with a rail having a base flange formed withoppositely dis-- posed upwardly and inwardly beveled faces.

of oppositely disposed complementary fishplates formed to embrace thebase flange of ,the rail and confront each other below the rail, each ofsaid fish-plates having a} vertlCzlhWQl), an outwardly and downwardlyengagement with the upperface ofthe corextending web; the under face ofwhich is I I nclined to contact with and'have wed'ging wheels on freighttrains are relatively coinengage" beneath the base Ofthe rail, the

upper edge of the vertical web of each fishplate being provided with a.plurality of studs.' and the under face of the'horizontal web'beingprovided with a longitudinally extendingthicken'ed \veb less in widththan the width/of the horizontal weband terminating short of outer edgeface? and perforated for the passage of a bolt the portions of thehorizontal web overhanging the longitudinally extending -web acting;' toprotect the ends of the bolt from moisture, the rail being formed uponthe under face upon theforcing of the fish-plates toward nesses.

the rail.

of its head with a plurality of stud-receiw In testimony whereof wehereunto atfix ing vertlcally extending recesses whereby our slgnatul esin the presence of two \nt- 10 JAMES M. HISKLE.

each other and in Contact with the rail, the

7 JOHN S. COOPER.

studs 0n the upper edge 'of the vertical flange of each jsh-plate willbe forced into Witnesses:

engagement wi 11 the recessesin the head of J. V. SMITH,

- R. H. \VEI-CIL Jr.

